Citadel places 2nd in first cybersecurity competition

College and high school students descended on The Citadel over the weekend for the inaugural Cybersecurity Competition sponsored by the Palmetto Roost Chapter of the Association of Old Crows in collaboration with Space and Naval Warfare Command (SPAWAR) Systems Center Atlantic.

Student teams operated small networks that they were responsible for protecting from SPAWAR cybersecurity experts. They were scored for completing administrative and business tasks while maintaining network availability and configuring and protecting their network against threats.

The Citadel took second place in college and university competition that was held Saturday. The team, which was a mixture of electrical engineering and computer science majors, included Cadets Derek Bernsen, Jimmie Lee, Ian Nielson, Hugh Urey, and Officer Candidates Nathan Cintula and Jonathan Puckett. The students were advised by Computer Science Professors Shankar Banik and George Rudolph.

“There is a critical need for education in cyberdefense, and The Citadel has risen to the challenge with new initiatives,” said Brig. Gen. Sam Hines, provost and dean of the college. “It’s a testament to the value of our program that our students fared so well in this first competition.”

Chief of Staff of Air Forces Cyber Col. Robert A. Morris was the keynote speaker for the event.

Results from the college competitionClemson, 1st PlaceThe Citadel, 2nd PlaceCollege of Charleston, 3rd Place

Results from the high school competitionWando High School, 1st PlaceSummerville High School, 2nd PlaceStall High School, 3rd Place

Several new initiatives are underway at The Citadel to bring cybersecurity education to the Lowcountry, including a new minor in cybersecurity and plans to offer a specialization in cybersecurity to students pursuing a master’s degree in computer science in the joint program offered by The Citadel and the College of Charleston.

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